


The Wife Murder Case

by AgentShadowTribute



Category: The Nice Guys (2016)
Genre: 70s, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Crime Fighting, F/M, Gen, Other, Private Investigators, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-19 10:50:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7358236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentShadowTribute/pseuds/AgentShadowTribute
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few months after the Amelia case, 1977. The Nice Guys Department take LA by storm, and a new case has been thrown their way. Drinking, investigating and svolving a case might be a problem this time around.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. From top to bottom

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, my first fic in this genre and storyline, hope you like what I've written. I am totally addicted to this fandom after seeing the movie. OC's I've added are Jenny (a name for Holland's wife), Margery stellar and Pete Ledger. Also a nice music choice, I would recommend Escarole by Cash Cash. I felt like it fit in here, listen if you want to!

THE SKY was dark, and filled with stars. A massive headache and the hard ground below of the pool was March, Holland’s first intentions as he woke up. It was early in the morning. The watch read 04:20pm. He groaned and felt the pain in his lower back. 

‘’Fucking fuck-‘’ He shouted as he pushed himself off the ground standing up, only to fall back down. ‘’Shit!’’ His shirt was torn at the right sleeve, and unbuttoned by the chest.   
He was unbalanced as he tried to walk again over to the edge of the pool. The hardest part was climbing out of there. Relief filled MARCH as he made it inside, the door unlocked. It was dark all around him, and he used all his might not to make any sound.

Luck was unfortunately not with him, as usual. 

SLAM.

His foot hit the corner of a drawer. A muffled scream escaped his mouth as he was trying not to wake up his teenage daughter. Rattling sounds caught his attention near by. Oh, oh…Too late. 

‘’Whose there? I got a gun!’’ The door right besides him barged open, and there she stood pointing a weapon directly at him. If looks could kill, this would definitely be it. 

‘’You got a what?!’’ March forgot about his foot, and grabbed the weapon in her hands. ‘’No, Holly!’’ He said. ‘’You are not, allowed, to keep this in your, room.’’ He slurred with some of his words. 

‘’Dad?’’ She looked shocked, and noticed his loss of words. ‘’You promised. One day, that’s all it takes and you can’t stay sober for more than an hour.’’ 

‘’Sweetie, I-‘’ She walked past him and into the kitchen to prepare a glass of water and a sandwich for him to digest on before going to bed, like she always would do for him. She was forced to become a grown up before her age was even there to give prof of it. She ignored the little pity party he had prepared for her on occasions like this. 

He followed her and sat down on a stool by the counter, his hands moving sluggishly around. ‘’Holly, hun, please hear me out.’’ He put the gun back into the cookie jar where it belonged. 

She turned around and put the sandwich on the counter in front of him. ‘’Mom would hate you for doing this.’’ Her words stung in his chest, and left him heartbroken. He tried opening his mouth to speak, but his emotions got in the way. He saw her sad eyes before she decided to leave. ‘’I’m going to sleep again.’’ After she left he cried like the loser he was.

A small, depressed drunken loser. 

‘’Stop it-‘’ He told himself, slapping his face. ‘’Stop fucking crying.’’ He took a bite of the sandwich Holly had prepared for him. Afterwards he got a pack of cigarettes out, lighting one of them as it was dangling out the corner of his mouth. 

‘’Damn!’’ He jumped up in an instant and put the cigarette out. ‘’Not in the kitchen.’’ He reminded himself and shook his head. When would he learn? 

His legs moved beneath him in the direction of his room, in an unbalanced matter. He managed to open his door and fall onto his bed, head on the pillow. This was the same position he would wake up in the next morning, with a headache still bothering him. 

He groaned and took a glimpse of what the clock read on his nightstand. 11:15 am.   
Good god in heaven. It’s too damn early. He thought and put the pillow over his head. 

Another look at the clock and his mind changed. 12:05 pm. Time for a shower. 

He sat up and rubbed his head, feeling the thundering pain. The bathroom was outside his room, in the hall. He made his final way out and into the cold bathroom, stripping off the ruined clothes from last night. The streaming water hit his body and made him feel different at once, but still pretty shitty. 

As he walked out, trying NOT to slip on the floor with his wet feet, he grabbed a towel   
wrapping it around his torso. His facial hair still not shaved properly against his face, his beard still growing, and a moustache to top it all off. After all it was the 70s. 

In a better form than yesterday, he entered the room of shame again. There his daughter was sitting with her bowl of cereal. She didn’t turn around, as she didn’t notice his presence. 

‘’No school today?’’ If he could smell, he would notice a can of freshly cooked coffee ready on the kitchen counter. As he walked over to the fridge, he caught a look of it near by. 

‘’It’s Saturday, dad.’’ She reminded him, and took another scoop of her cereal. 

He slapped his forehead and sighed. ‘’No, of course. How could I forget.’’ 

She pointed towards a coffee cup ready for him on the counter. What had he done to deserve such a wonderful daughter. He poured some coffee into the cup, and leaned against the island counter where Holly sat.

‘’Mr Healy called, he said to tell you he would be over in a bit.’’ She said as her mouth was filled with food. A knock on the door was heard, and she immediately jumped off her chair. ‘’That’s him!’’ 

‘’What is so exciting about that man.’’ He told himself in a huff as she sprinted out into the hall. He took a bottle of vodka hidden behind a plant at the counter as she was out of his sight, and poured some into his coffee. 

‘’Hi, Mr Healy.’’ Her eyes were bright, and her smile was big. ‘’Hello, little girl.’’ He returned the smile. ‘’May I come in?’’ 

She nodded and closed the door behind him. 

‘’Daddy is sitting in the kitchen.’’ She told him, as they both walked inside. 

Jackson Healy raised an eyebrow as he saw a totally ruined man sitting by the kitchen counter, with a coffee in his hand. 

‘’To what do I owe the pleasure?’’ March joked, and put the cup of coffee down.

‘’I came by to inform you about our new case, since you were unable to get the darned phone.’’ His eyes switched from March and over to Holly. ‘’It’s a good thing you have an assistant.’’ He winked at her, and she returned him a proud smile. 

‘’How many times do I have to say I am sorry about what happened.’’ He sighed and downed the last of his special made coffee. 

‘’I think you need to fill me in on what, exactly happened.’’ Healy looked at March. 

‘’He got drunk last night and came home at 4 in the morning.’’ Holly was washing her bowl in the sink as she commented, like it was the most normal thing in the world to say about her father. 

‘’-And she pointed a gun at my face. Which is, not, allowed.’’ March said directly after. 

She turned around and kept her arms crossed.

‘’Who exactly do you think she got the inspiration from to get the gun in the first place?’’ Healy raised an eyebrow at him. 

He was about to make a comeback with a clever remark, but only then realised the answer to his question and gave up. ‘’What case were you talking about again?’’ 

Healy wore a satisfying smile and got out his glasses and a sheet of paper. ‘’Margery Stellar, divorced from her quote: rich and very important husband. Needs help to keep any man following her away, divorced husband secretly wants her out of the way, which means he possibly wants her killed.’’ He put the paper down, and looked at the man and teenage girl in front of him. 

‘’That’s cruel.’’ Holly said, coming closer towards them. 

‘’Not if we help her, and find out which people he’s hired to take care of the job.’’ Healy took off his glasses and pointed with them out in the air as he spoke. 

‘’That’s… Interesting. Sounds like an older lady in need of our expert help.’’ March had his hand resting by his chin, as he soaked the information in. ‘’We should start immediately.’’

‘’We start when you get your shit together.’’ Healy stood up and put the folded paper back in the pocket of his black and blue-ish leather jacket. 

‘’Come on, I’ve been fucking sober all morning.’’ 

‘’Not quite.’’ Healy pulled out the half empty vodka bottle from behind the plant on the counter, and waved it in the air. ‘’I’ll take this. Holly and I are going for some ice cream, until then, get dressed, nicely groomed and stay sharp.’’ 

The excitement in Holly sparked as she heard what Healy said. 

‘’That’s what I call cruel, taking my fucking pride.’’ He threw his hands up in the air standing up. ‘’Take care of my little pumpkin, then.’’ He wrapped his arm around her, kissing the top of her head.

‘’It’s only Mr Healy, dad. He’s nice.’’ She gave him a nudge with her elbow and a quick hug. ‘’See you later.’’ She ran off into the hallway to get her shoes. 

Healy took a look at March, and gave him a nod. ‘’We’ll see you in an hour or two.’’ He turned around and was ready to leave, but looked back for a second and pointed at him. ‘’No alcohol, remember. Or else I’ll have to do my job again, like the first time we meet.’’ 

March shuddered at the thought, and held his arm close by. ‘’Yeah, yeah. I’ll get ready, old man.’’ Healy only shook his head with a light chuckle and left the house with Holly.

13:15PM  
‘’Strawberry flavour, please.’’ She told the person on the other side of the counter as she pointed against the glass over the variety of flavours. ‘’That’ll do.’’ The employee said with a smile, and handed her the ice cream. Healy himself got a vanilla ice cream, just because Holly insisted he’d also have to get one. 

‘’Thanks for the ice cream.’’ She said, as she sat down on one of the tables. 

‘’No problem, I thought you’d need one. It’s Saturday after all.’’ He tasted the ice cream.

‘’My dad doesn’t know that.’’ She annoyingly stated, as she lightly picked in her ice cream with the spoon. ‘’He thought I had school.’’ 

Healy stopped for a moment, and thought of what to say. He wasn’t very good with feelings or with words in general. ‘’Well… Your dad isn’t very-‘’ He thought of how to put it in a nice way. ‘’-helpful. I mean, at home and what not. Of what I’ve seen over these past months of course.’’ He spoke in a rather low voice, so that he wouldn’t raise suspicion. 

‘’I’ve gotten used to it.’’ She shrugged and put a spoon filled with ice cream in her mouth.   
‘’He just need some time. I miss mom too.’’ 

Healy never thought he’d hear those first words come out of a thirteen soon to be fourteen year olds mouth. They seemed surreal.

She was just about done with her ice cream, and placed her hands on the table looking over at him. ‘’Did you have a wife? Or kids?’’ 

He seemed taken aback by the sudden question, but answered anyway. ‘’A wife, we divorced a long time ago.’’ 

‘’Oh- I’m sorry.’’ She bit her lower lip, looking down. ‘’You’re just like my dad then.’’

‘’Yeah, you could say that.’’ He chuckled, and took a quick look at his watch. ‘’Speaking of your dad, we should go get him. Time goes by way too quickly.’’ 

14:30PM  
They sat in Healy’s car as they waited for Holland March to come out. 

He came out fifteen minutes after they got there as Healy honked the horn a few times. As he approached the car, he opened the front door and pointed his thumb backwards. 

‘’Out.’’ He ordered and Holly groaned as she jumped out and sat down in the seats back in the car. He wore a suit jacket with a white shirt underneath and a striped tie, and his sleeves pulled up. 

‘’How sober are you?’’ Healy took a quick look at him. 

‘’Don’t sweat it, I just had a beer- and stuff.’’ He put his arms up in defence. Holly’s head popped up form behind. ‘’Don’t say, and stuff, daddy. Just say I had a lot of beer.’’

‘’I hope you never say those words. Drinking is bad.’’ He punctuated. 

‘’You do it.’’ 

He could hear the smugness in her voice that she was right; she always wanted to have the last word, one of the many things that reminded her of her mother. 

Healy reversed out of the driveway and March lit a cigarette, hanging his arm out the window. ‘’What’s the plan?’’ He asked Healy as he drove out through the neighbourhood.

‘’We meet up with Margery Stellar, and she’ll tell us all the details we need to know. After all we need to protect her from those guys following her around 24/7.’’ He drove out on the highway and straight forward. ‘’Will take us about half an hour, so I would suggest you guys sit back and enjoy the ride.’’ 

March inhaled and exhaled the smoke into the air, letting it flow right out the window. ‘’Right at it, chief.’’ 

‘’Don’t be silly, never call me chief. You moron.’’ 

 

15:35PM  
Half an hour into LA, they parked by a huge building. It was a quiet day. The sun was shining; busy people were walking by with their coffees and important notes. Not bothering to give them a look. Healy walked across the road and up to the building to take a look at the address. It was the right one. The three of them walked through the automatic sliding doors, and straight towards the elevator pressing the button. 

‘’These people seems important.’’ Holly said, as they entered. 

‘’It’s just a façade, sweetie.’’ March corrected her. ‘’People like this don’t give a shit.’’ 

‘’Here we go again.’’ Healy sighed as the elevator stopped, on the 20th floor. 

‘’I bet she has a penthouse apartment up here, where she can shove it in people’s faces that she’s rich.’’ The doors opened and the cigarette, which March had placed yet again in his mouth, fell to the ground. He saw a lady standing in front of them, and not any kind of woman. She had olive like skin, and dark brown hair straight down to her chest. She was slim yet curvy in a cocktail dress that was black and tight against her body. She was definitively a young lady in her early thirties. 

‘’I’ve been expecting you.’’ She gave them a luring smile. Her eyes didn’t acknowledge March, as she went straight to shake hands with Healy. 

‘’I am Jackson Healy, from The Nice Guys department.’’ He shook her hand, and stepped out of the elevator. ‘’Are you the assistant?’’ 

‘’Oh dear god, no.’’ She looked shocked, but a little laugh escaped her mouth. ‘’I am Margery Stellar. Please, come in.’’ She turned around and walked straight into the huge, and nicely decorated office. 

‘’Holy shit. That’s her? How could-‘’ As March was triumphing, Healy put a hand to his face to shut him up as he pushed him backwards in the process. 

Holly walked after Healy, and took a grip of March’s hand. ‘’Come on dad, don’t get blind and lose more of your senses.’’ She quickly joked, as he stumbled ahead. 

‘’Ha-ha. Very funny.’’ 

The apartment was in no way isolated, there were glass windows giving off a panorama view of the city. Holly let go of her dad’s arm, and ran towards the window. ‘’Wow, this is so cool.’’ 

‘’I see you brought a child. How charming.’’ Margery said, as she was sitting down in her office chair, putting one leg over the other. 

‘’Yeah, she’s quite clever for her age, I must add.’’ Healy commented, but Holly was too busy looking down at the people who resembled ants from their view.

‘’Very well.’’ She rolled the chair closer to her desk, and got out a file, letting it slam against the hard wood. ‘’Here are your suspects. I’ve ensured no one followed you over here, and I would hope you guys keep a low profile.’’ 

March stumbled the last few inches and sat down next to Healy in a chair opposite from Margery. ‘’We’re very low profile.’’ He gave her a cheeky smile. Healy only rolled his eyes very casually at his comment, and took the file. There were surveillance photos of three guys. 

File names:  
Javier, 39 years old.   
Pablo, 40 years old.   
John, 26 years old. 

‘’Why are these guys hired to kill you? If you don’t mind me asking.’’ Healy took a look at their faces, trying to remember how they would look like if he saw them on the streets. 

She dramatically sighed and turned in her chair. ‘’My ex-husband, thinks I am capable of stealing his money. That’s why he divorced me in the first place.’’ She stood up, and placed her hands at the desk. ‘’I couldn’t care less about his precious gold and diamonds.’’

Healy nodded and March couldn’t keep his gaze off her sudden position, while her breasts literally popped out of her dress in the way she was standing. ‘’You two seem like decent guys, I will pay you next week. If they stagger off or get lost, it’ll mean you did your job very well, even better if they never came back.’’ She gave them a wink.

She stood straight again, and walked in front of them. Leaning her back against the desk. ‘’All you need to know is in this file.’’ She pointed at the brown-filed folder. ‘’If there’s any questions or requests here’s my phone number.’’ She reached for a business card, and gave it to March. 

‘’You mean, any kind of request?’’ He hopefully asked.

She gave him a smirk in return. ‘’I’ll see you guys later.’’ 

Healy stood up, and pulled at March’s arm for him to get up. If it was him alone he would’ve never gotten out of there by himself. ‘’Thanks, we’ll look into it.’’ Healy half yelled across the room as they were now back at the elevator. Holly came rushing after them, and entered the room pressing the 1st floor button.

‘’That went well.’’ Healy leaned against the wall beside him, while they waited. 

‘’-And you said rich people like that doesn’t give a shit, dad.’’ Holly put her hand up to her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

March put the card into his pant pocket and took the last cigarette out of his carton. ‘’She was the boss, pumpkin. Not a socially awkward worker like these other dead souls around here. Now stop giving your dad a hard time.’’ He playfully nudged her with his arm as she did she did the same and he fell slightly against the wall. 

‘’Watch out, or he’ll get injured again.’’ Healy took out his car keys and walked out of the elevator as it hit the bottom.   
When they stepped out, there was silence all around. 

‘’Where is everyone?’’ Holly looked around. A guy rounded the corner and hit Healy in the face with his elbow, making blood run down his nose. ‘’Fucking hell-‘’ He escaped a groan. 

The unknown man was too quick as he already made his way across the room in a safe distance. He wore a black mask, hidden from his true identity and raised his hand with a loaded gun. He swirled it in his hand, stopped it, and started shooting in their direction. 

It all happened so fast. Holly was stuck in her spot, paralyzed from fear. March and Healy had already started to run. Holland turned and saw his daughter standing still.

‘’Holly, watch out!’’ He yelled. Her heart started beating faster as everything else went in slow motion. The gun was fired. She closed her eyes and opened them again, and in the right second managed to jump out of the way and fall against the floor with her hands over her head, protecting herself. 

March desperately grabbed her arm and pulled her over, behind the desk. ‘’Are you all right? Please tell me you didn’t get shot.’’ He was nervous.

‘’I’m fine-‘’ She managed to say out loud, and rubbed her head as she sat with her back against the desk. 

‘’This is absolute, bull. Getting attacked in the building Margery works, with no other security.’’ Healy commented, as he pulled his own gun out of a holder in his pants. ‘’I’m starting to think this is a set up.’’ 

He leaned against the counter top and started shooting at the man across the room. He managed to shoot his hand. The man’s gun fell to the floor. A hurt filled yelp was heard from the man. 

Healy threw the gun in a swift move over to March, who was not prepared for it and threw it nervously up in the air a few times before getting a firm grip on it. 

‘’The guy lost his gun: I’m going in. Back me up.’’ He jumped over the counter, and made his move over to the guy, kneeing him in the stomach the first chance he got. 

‘’I know I said that gun’s are bad sweetie, but this is an exception.’’ He explained, and got ready to use it.

‘’Do. Not. Move.’’ 

He sat up quickly and put the gun on the top of the counter, shooting wildly across the room, his hands literally shaking. There were two men now, as far as March could see. 

‘’Fucking hell.’’ He cursed as the other one shot back multiple times.

He suddenly got hit in the right shoulder and fell back down where Holly sat. He hid it with his hand, trying not to freak her out, groaning his way out of the pain. 

‘’Dad, you have to help Healy. I can distract the other one.’’ Holly yelled at him, peeking over the edge to see the situation. ‘’There is, no, way you are going out there by yourself! What part of, do not move, do you not understand?’’ 

She didn’t want to hear what he said and sat down on the side of the desk. ‘’I love you, dad.’’ It was the only thing she said as she ran fast across the room to find the other guy ready to shoot at Healy. ‘’No!’’ She yelled, and stepped on his foot making him scream. She jumped on his back and kicked the gun out of his hand. 

‘’Shit, shit, shit.’’ March said as he saw his daughter run, he had to shot the guy before it was too late. He looked back at Healy and the guy fighting, they were both bloody and had torn pieces of clothing left on them. He aimed at the guy, and yelled out for Healy to hear. ‘’Don’t worry, I got your back!’’ 

If it weren’t for Marche’s bad shooting skills, things would’ve gone differently. Healy cursed and groaned as the bullet hit his thigh, and not the opponents. 

‘’Fucking great.’’ He was so pissed that he got the energy to hold the guy’s head and smack his own against him, making him fall unconscious against the floor. 

‘’Man down.’’ March yelled and stepped out from the desk. ‘’Where did the other one go?’’ He looked around, and suddenly something horrid caught his eye. 

He saw his daughter getting dragged outside with the other masked man carrying her, throwing her into a black van. ‘’No, no!’’ He ran over to the other side, holding his injured shoulder. Blood was running down his suit from the wound, and through his hand. Healy looked behind him and saw what happened. He made his way out of the building too, running after him.

March ran for his life as he heard his daughter’s screams while the van drove away. 

He couldn’t run any more; there was nothing he could do. He was stuck. The van rounded the corner and was now long gone. He fell against the pavement with his knees to the ground, blood still rushing. His suit dirty and red.

‘’My baby girl, they took her…’’ He cried out, as Healy came up to him breathless. 

‘’What a piece of unworthy shits.’’ He spat at the ground. He turned around and saw Holland March’s sorrow. ‘’Don’t worry, we’ll find out who they were.’’ 

‘’I can’t believe it.’’ He cried into the ground. ‘’I’m a shit dad.’’ 

‘’Don’t beat yourself up about it. They won’t harm her.’’ He tried to reassure him. 

‘’This is so bad… I need something. I need a drink.’’ 

Healy shook his head at the depressed dad in front of him, he shouldn’t be so hard on him, but then again he didn’t know what it was like to lose someone like that, rather than his wife.

‘’Come on, I’ll help you.’’ He took a grip under his arms and made him stand up; he then had to reassure he didn’t fall, and put March’s arm over his back. 

He helped March in the car, making sure to check his surroundings for people that may have follow them. There were hopefully gone, for now. 

Healy sat down in the driver seat, and looked over at his friend. He was literally broken down. No movement. He didn’t even bother getting out a cigarette on the drive home. This man wasn’t his usual stressed self right now, he was a sad, broken man. 

As they drove into the driveway of the March household, Healy got out as well as March himself. He was about to say something, but as they walked up to the stairs March brought his hand up, ‘’don’t say anything.’’ 

He put his key in the lock, and they went inside silently. 

March got a glass of whiskey. Then another. Then a few shots straight from his vodka bottle. A few beers, and then the last half of his vodka straight in one go. 

This took place in just over an hour. 

Healy was watching all the madness from the living room. March came stumbling in with his bottle, now empty. ‘’Jackson, J- Healy.’’ He started off. ‘’Thinking you are so tough, and manly.’’ 

He rolled his eyes at his stupidity.

‘’I would stop there if I was you.’’ He warned, not taking his eyes off him, in case he’d do anything stupid. 

‘’What? I can’t raise my own voice. In my own fucking house!’’ He was too drunk too even know what he was talking about. ‘’I lost. Everything.’’ He threw his hands out to measure how much he lost, almost throwing his bottle away in the process. ‘’This many.’’ 

‘’I’m sorry, Holland. You need to go to bed.’’ He tried to reason with him, but it wasn’t easy reasoning with a drunk, miserable man. 

‘’Stuff it old man.’’ There escaped a hiccup from his mouth. ‘’Jenny. Holly. I lost my family.’’ He started again, and fell against the couch, crying into the cushions. 

Healy was about to say something, when the house phone started to ring. He took initiative to go and pick it up. ‘’Hello?’’ 

‘’Jackson Healy, Holland March.’’ A dark voice came through, saying their names. ‘’We currently have your daughter hostage, because of negotiation with Margery Stellar, Pete Ledgers ex wife. If you want to see her alive we suggest you come to his official party of the year, two days from now at 9pm. Don’t be late.’’ 

The line went dead after that.

‘’March!’’ He yelled into the living room. 

‘’Go fuck yourself.’’

‘’I think you want to hear this.’’ He basically ran into the living room. ‘’Holly is alive, and I know where to find her.’’ 

March immediately looked up at him with a tear filled face, looking shocked. ‘’You better not be messing with me, man.’’ 

‘’The kidnappers called, there’s a party in two days we have to attend with a huge amount of money…’’ He sat down in a comfort chair, right beside the couch.

‘’What.’’ His eyes lit up, giving him a slight hope. ‘’We need to plan our break through, now!’’ 

‘’You need to go to bed.’’


	2. More clues

THE NEXT DAY was a drowsy one, with the rain pouring down in thick waves. Healy had spent the night on the couch, due to their case. He didn’t sleep though, he couldn’t. There was too much going on. He had a mug of coffee in his hand, as he looked out through the window standing in the living room. Palms surrounded the property, and they were also hanging over the empty pool in the back yard. 

He stood in this position for a good fifteen minutes, before shaking his head and realising his reality. They had to find information about the party, stat. He didn’t drink any alcohol last night, the opposite of what his investigation partner decided to do. He found March passed out on the bed, with his clothes still on. 

‘’Hey! Wake up.’’ He banged on the open door into his room. He was sprawled on the bed, lying on his stomach, each of his limbs wildly placed around. His snoring didn’t make it any better. ‘’March. Get the hell up.’’ He got annoyed when he didn’t want to listen to what Healy had to say. 

March’s hand made a little movement, but that was about it.

‘’For fucks sake.’’ Healy definitely had enough of his shit attitude by now. His only instinct was to go out of the room and come back in. Only this time around he had a bucket of ice-cold water, which he threw at March’s face. His eyes flew open, but he didn’t get time to react as Healy gripped his legs with his bare hands, and pulled his body onto the floor with a thud. 

March lost his breath for a second, and groaned after getting it back. ‘’Holy fuck-‘’ He hit the ground in agony, with his fist. ‘’What the fuck is your problem?’’ He was angry, really angry. But so was Healy. 

‘’You.’’ He had his eyes on him, and walked in a slow walk across the room. He pulled out a shirt, and some pants from a closet. He threw this at March as he was lying on the ground. ‘’I told you I wasn’t a nice guy.’’ He proceeded to walk towards the door. ‘’I suggest you get dressed and meet me outside in the car.’’

March coughed and sat up, with the clothes in his hand. 

 

11:02am

Healy sat in his car, waiting. Tapping his fingers on the wheel, staring into the air in front of him. Healy was usually a patient man, but when his clock suddenly read 11:30am he jumped out of his car again. Making his way in a hurry towards the door.

‘’You better get your ass out now, or I’ll-‘’ He started, and noticed a shadowy figure over by the couch. He took his gun out, and was prepared for a gunfight right away. When he got closer he noticed this was no threatening creature at all, it was March sitting with a blanket over his head, covering himself, smoking a cigarette.

‘’I can’t do this.’’ He said sounding really depressed.

Healy groaned and stood in front of him, sitting down on the table in front of March. He was getting real tired of being his fucking therapist. ‘’Listen. We are at a good peek now, we’ll go to the party tomorrow night, get Holly, find the killers and hopefully her ex husband. Everything will work out fine. So, why the hell are you wasting your time moping around?’’ He was staring intensely at him now.

March was looking into the distance, letting the smoke fill the air. ‘’I am not like you; I can’t do things like this. I’m just this shitty private investigator, hoping to get a stupid case from stupid people in which I can make a lot of money from.’’ He was speaking in one go, not stopping. ‘’She’ll end up dead if I come along, I’m such a failure.’’ 

Healy sighed and placed his fingers at the temple of his eyes. 

His hands folded in his lap, as he now looked at March. ‘’What you did on the Amelia case, it was really good. Sure you fucked up, but you got what you intended in the first place.’’ He stood up and patted his shoulder. ‘’Don’t give up just yet, now come on. We have a lot of work to do.’’ 

As Healy walked away, March got the courage to smile, put out his cigarette in the ashtray and throw away the blanket. ‘’Wait up.’’ He ran after him, grabbing his metal flask on the way. 

 

12:00pm on the other side of town.

 

A light came on in the darkness, and a man was standing in front of Holly. He was a grown up man, with brown slick hair, and a well-grown moustache. He didn’t look like any other man, he had another origin, probably Spanish. She also noticed he had a faint scar from his eye to his cheek. 

‘’Little girl.’’’ He started, speaking with an accent, like a Spanish man would. ’’What’s your name?’’ He was sitting down, so that he was on her level. She looked the other way, not interested in answering him. 

She was bound to a chair, her hands tied up at the back and each foot at the ground. Another rope was tied around her waist and around the chair, making sure she had no way to escape. 

‘’Hey-’’ He said sharply, grabbing her face with his hand making her look at him. ‘’What about your dad then, what is his business with this case?’’ 

Her eyes were fired up, not liking the situation. ‘’Do not talk about my dad, you stupid fuck.’’ 

He looked surprised and started laughing. ‘’Are you for real right now?’’ He laughed some more. ‘’Hey, Javier. This girl’s got some balls, talking to me like that.’’ 

She squinted with her eyes, and spat at his face. He seemed grossed out, and wiped his face looking back at her with a mad face. He brought a sharp knife out, bringing it up to her cheek. Her eyes turned with the knife. ‘’Be careful, or I’ll cut your skin, pretty girl.’’ 

‘’Pablo.’’ A voice across the room said. 

He slipped the knife back into his pocket, and looked at the person in front of him. 

‘’What did I say about hurting the girl?’’ 

Holly didn’t see whom it was, only heard voices. The sharp lighting was pointed right at her face. 

‘’I’m sorry, boss. I was just scaring her. You know.’’ He escaped a nervous laugh. Pablo was definitely scared of this guy. 

She heard the man snap his finger, and another guy escaped from behind him. He punched Pablo in the face, making him fall to the ground. The guy then picked him up dragging him out of the room after the collar of his shirt. She heard choking sounds across the room.

The mysterious man came into the lighting now, smiling. ‘’I am terribly sorry for how they treated you.’’ He nodded his head to the right, and this other guy came and released her from the ropes. She rubbed her hands where the rope had been. 

‘’What do you want with me?’’ She looked up at him, now standing up.

‘’Well, aren’t you a grown woman.’’ His smile didn’t leave his face. ‘’At least you talk like one.’’ He waved his hand, motioning for her to come with him. ‘’My dear, I am Pete. What is yours?’’ 

‘’Holly…’’ She crossed her arms in front of her chest. 

‘’That’s a nice name.’’ He held an arm around her shoulder as they walked. ‘’I have a question for you, Holly.’’ 

She looked up at him and nodded. 

‘’Would you something sweet? I have some Yoo-hoos stocked in the fridge.’’ 

 

14:00pm 

 

‘’I’ll have the eggs & bacon.’’ March told the waitress in front of them. They were sitting at a diner, opposite from each other. ‘’-And a cup of coffee, please.’’

‘’I’ll have the same.’’ Healy said.

She wrote it down on her little note pad, and walked off to find their coffee.  
‘’What information did you get yesterday?’’ March put a cigarette in his mouth, turning his lighter from side to side against the table. 

Healy took out the brown-filed folder from his jacket and placed it on the table. 

‘’They told me Margery’s ex husbands name. His name is Pete Ledger, and he is the owner and manager of the biggest law firm in town. A well known man, to say the least.’’ He took out the folders content. ‘’A party is held at his mansion tomorrow. We’ll go there before 9pm, because it was the time they requested us to be there.’’ 

March nodded and looked up as the waitress put the cups of coffee down at the table. He smiled, and as she went back he turned his head to take a peak at her luscious body. 

‘’Hey, over here.’’ Healy snapped his finger in front of his face. ‘’What I don’t get is why Margery told us it was safe, when these clowns decided to show up and beat the shit out of us.’’ 

‘’Maybe she didn’t know.’’

‘’She knows a lot, March.’’

‘’I’m just saying that she didn’t.’’

‘’Stop protecting her, just because you want to have sex with her.’’ 

March put his finger up to object. ‘’She was good looking, but come on; I’m not protecting her. She obviously have something to hide.’’ 

Healy shrugged, and took a sip from his coffee. ‘’We need to bring a bag filled with elements other than money. They won’t know it if we get Holly first.’’ 

‘’That’s risky.’’ He finally lit his cigarette.

‘’Well, how do you suggest we get the money then, smart ass?’’

‘’Go beat some people up, you get good money for it don’t you?’’ 

‘’Shut it, detective.’’ He got his glasses out and put them on, reading the highly secret paper work.

‘’It’s investigator.’’ He hit his lighter against the table. Healy looked up from his papers for a second, ‘’is that all? Threatening me with some banging and slamming. Keep acting like a three year old, and you’ll be dead in a second.’’ 

‘’Keep acting like an old man, and you’ll be put in a home soon.’’ 

There was silence. March already regretted his comment the minute he said it. He slowly slid down his seat, putting his sunglasses on. Healy moved his neck to the right, making a cracking sound. ‘’Fucking idiot…’’ He cursed under his breath, in a low voice, keeping himself calm. 

March turned his head and looked out the window when something suddenly caught his eye. 

‘’Hey-‘’ He said. ‘’Hey, hey, hey.’’ 

This caught Healey’s attention. ‘’What?’’ March pointed to the outside where a black van was standing. ‘’That looks awfully similar to the one we saw yesterday.’’ Healy commented. ‘’Where is the guy then?’’ 

The cashier register made a ‘pling’ sound, followed by a man’s voice. ‘’Thank you, ma’am.’’ He was a Spanish looking fellow walking with a plastic bag in his hands; what caught their attention next was a bruised black eye.

Healy put the folder and glasses back into the pocket of his jacket and stood up. ‘’That’s our guy.’’ 

March stood up as well, and they followed the man outside. The man was behind the van, placing something in the back. Healy went first and looked around to see if anyone noticed them. It was a quiet time of day, thank god.

He pulled something out of his pocket, and placed it around his fingers; his brass knuckles. When the guy closed the door, Healy went in for a punch. The hard metal hit his face, and the stomach next. The guy stumbled and Healy opened the doors in the back throwing him inside. ‘’Come on.’’ He waved at March, as he jumped inside as well closing the doors. It was pretty dark inside the back of the van, but enough to see the silhouette of a person. 

‘’What the fuck, man?’’ The guy spat blood onto the ground, probably even losing a tooth or two. 

‘’Listen.’’ Healy took the collar of his shirt and pushed him up against the metal wall. ‘’It’s Pablo, right?’’ He smirked, recognizing him as the guy from the photos.

‘’Sí.’’ He tried to catch his breath. 

‘’You took something precious from my partner. Remember?’’ He motioned towards March.

‘’I know nothing-‘’ another punch made him fall down and lie against the floor. 

‘’You better, or I will kick the living shit out of you.’’ He stood and watched him for a second, waiting for an answer. March was standing in the corner watching. 

‘’Okay- stop.’’ He pleaded. ‘’She is with, Pete.’’ He had his hands in front of his face, protecting himself. ‘’He is dangerous; he’ll kill anyone if he have to.’’ 

‘’What about his ex wife? Margery Stellar.’’ Healy had his eyes on him.

‘’I heard they spoke together on the phone yesterday… He wanted us to get rid of her, but now he wants to do the job himself once she is at his house.’’ 

‘’That’s weird.’’ March said from the back.

‘’Let’s go, before anyone finds us suspicious.’’ Healy said, putting his foot on top of the guy’s chest. ‘’Any last words?’’ 

‘’Please don’t kill me, I have a family.’’ He desperately called out. 

Healy had to resist beating him again, and took his foot away. ‘’Alright, but you never saw or spoke to us, capiche?’’ He turned around and opened the doors, walking casually away from the scene. 

March came running after him. ‘’You really love beating people up, don’t you?’’ 

‘’Only the ones with intention of hurting innocent people.’’ He looked into the distance. ‘’We need to warn Margery, do you still have her number?’’ 

‘’Yeah.’’ He found the card in his pocket. 

‘’Call and tell her we’ll be there with her.’’


	3. Case closed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi, late update but the last chapter is here at last.  
> I intended it to be longer and better put together, as it is now all in one chapter! 
> 
> Another song option for the chapter and for you guys would be this: Get on up- by Big Gigantic.  
> It's got all the funk and party sound it needs to be recognized with the story.

THE DRIVE home was quiet, but long. The rain had stopped for the day, and the streetlights were just turned on. ‘’I really just want to go over to wherever they are and get my Holly back.’’ March said, with his hand placed against his chin. He wasn’t very calm. 

‘’We can. Tomorrow.’’ Healy didn’t take his eyes off the road. ‘’What did you and Margery agree to?’’ 

They had stopped at a phone booth minutes ago, with March getting the job to call miss Stellar with the number they’d gotten on the business card. 

‘’Nothing.’’ He sighed. ‘’Straight to voicemail.’’ 

‘’You can call her later tonight, then.’’ Healy took off to the right, and into his neighbourhood. 

‘’Why don’t, you, call her?’’ March raised an eyebrow.

‘’I just beat people up, remember?’’

He parked the car in the driveway, and looked at March. ‘’Go inside, take a break, call her, and I’ll see you tomorrow.’’ 

‘’Alright.’’ March opened the door, and awkwardly waved at him. 

He went up the stair to his house, and opened the door. The door was open. Didn’t he lock the door before he went? He was sure he did. 

The lights were on inside, and as he made his way into the kitchen there was a fresh bottle of liquor opened, standing on the counter. There was a shiver going down his spine, as he had no idea who could be there in his home. 

He took a few more steps and ended up in the living room.

‘’Why, hello there.’’ A seductive voice rang in his ears, and he immediately recognized her face. 

‘’Margery?’’ He was beyond surprised, and quite scared at this point. 

‘’Sorry to make a big entrance, I heard the voice mail you left me.’’ She took a sip of the drink in her hand. Her hair was in a ponytail, and he also noticed the red lipstick she was wearing. As she stood up, he could nothing but open his eyes wide. This time she was wearing a black gown, with a slit at the side of her thigh, showing some skin. 

He blinked a couple of times. ‘’W-why are you here? Wearing that?’’ 

She walked closer towards him, with a smile across her face. ‘’You are so innocent.’’ She placed her hand at his chest, letting her fingers trail down his shirt. ‘’-Nothing like my ex husband.’’ She looked down at her empty glass and raised it up to his face. ‘’Would you mind getting me another?’’ 

He swallowed and took her glass: Turning around, making his way over to the kitchen. 

‘’You know the party isn’t till tomorrow.’’ He tried to explain, his hand slightly shaking as he poured her another one. He got a glass for himself too as he got started. 

‘’I thought you wanted me to come.’’ She was sly and had made her way over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. ‘’You called, didn’t you?’’ 

He turned and looked at her, she was an astonishing woman. 

‘’Were you supposed to go to your ex husbands party by yourself?’’ He asked, taking a sip from his whiskey. He tried for once to be professional. 

‘’I suppose.’’ She leaned against the counter, standing beside him with the glass in her hand. ‘’He suddenly got the balls to call, so I figured he’d learned.’’ 

March shook his head quickly and downed his drink. He had to confront her with the information, without making a mess of it. 

‘’Listen.’’ He started, and looked at his side. She had a luring smile on her face. ‘’We found the guy Pablo. He told us your ex husband was going to take care of the business himself.’’

She started to laugh, and almost lost her glass. She was clearly intoxicated. 

‘’I would like to see him try.’’ She brought her tiny purse up, and pulled out a gun herself, taking her finger and placing it against his mouth. ‘’Shh. It’s a secret.’’ 

‘’That is not a good idea.’’ He looked shocked, taking the gun away from her. 

She placed her arms around his neck, and moved in close. ‘’Kiss me.’’ 

She went straight in for a hard and wet tongue kiss, letting her hand slip down from his neck, down his chest and to the front of his pants. He jumped slightly. 

One of Marche’s weaknesses was definitely a woman’s touch. That was as clear as day. 

‘’Your husband.’’ He said in between kisses. ‘’He took my daughter-‘’ 

She still had her eyes closed, continuing. ‘’Your daughter?’’ She laughed with a silly laughter. ‘’I thought she belonged to that other guy of yours… Whatever his name was.’’ 

‘’It’s Jackson Healy.’’ 

‘’Whatever.’’

They were still inside the kitchen, facing the living room. It was quite late, as they fooled around with each other. March started to relax his nerves for once and let what would happen, just happen. The only lightning was in the kitchen, a light bulb above them hanging from the ceiling. She pushed him against the wall and unbuttoned his shirt. Her buzzed mind was out of the ordinary, but at the same time she was acting like herself.

The sound of metal clashing was heard as she removed the belt around his pants, and let them hit the floor along with his underpants. She sat down on the ground and threw her hair back in an elegant way. She was confident with every move she took, and the next one made him gasp out for air as he leaned his head back against the wall. 

Maybe this was a good thing after all, March thought, enjoying the time being made.

If this were your average romantic story with people meeting behind closed shades and falling secretly in love it would have been more than great. 

Except this isn’t. 

March fell to the ground with Margery, and as he opened his eyes he saw blood. Her eyes were wide open, as she was lying on her side. Shots had been fired through the living room, and her back was pouring with blood. She was shot multiple times against the back, leaving March unharmed. He was lying next to a dying person, the corpse of Margery Stellar, and he had to escape as quickly as possible. 

He ran for it, and slammed the door shut after him. The bathroom was his hiding place, and as he placed a tiny chair and supplies in front of the door, he heard the guys entering his house. How could he be this bad of an investigator: Healy was right, he did suck at his job. Everyone they tried to help ended up getting killed. He feared his daughter might be next.

Banging sounds were heard against the bathroom door, where March was. He was sitting in the corner of the room, hiding himself. 

‘’Come out right fucking now, or we’ll have to burn this place to the ground.’’

No, not this house too. They can’t. Marche’s thoughts were spinning. 

‘’Are you deaf?’’ He heard another voice say. 

‘’Let’s just get rid of them both.’’

‘’Alright, light it up.’’ 

March was trapped, in agony and despair. This was probably his fate, after all the shit he’s been giving people. He deserved it for being a drunk, ignorant human. 

Rattling sounds were heard and something being poured and thrown against the floor: something liquid. Water? No. Gasoline. 

A fire match was lit, and then the sound of flames rising was heard and felt. Warmth was being thrown against him in a wave from the gaps of the door, as it tried to make it’s way into the tiny room where he was. He tried to touch the knob of the door, but the metal was too hot. 

This was the end of Holland March’s tragic life. 

He was sweating, and tears were running down his face. He was almost unconscious, his eyes about to close. The last thing he heard was more shots being fired, and the door into the bathroom was knocked open. He was dragged out, and over against the floor. The fire was out of control burning everything around them. In the next moment he woke up to water being splashed in his face. He was outside, lying in the grass, coughing against the ground and puking out the last of remains of his stomach. 

The man he looked up to next was a familiar one. ‘’Healy?’’ The light of the flames hit his face and March looked over at his side seeing his house burn down a second time. 

‘’You can’t do anything right, can you?’’ He sat down on one of his knees, closer to March.

‘’How did you know?’’

‘’I didn’t.’’ He said. ‘’When I was driving back home I noticed a couple of guys following me. I drove half way, and then I turned around trying to shake ‘em off. I did manage to do so in the end, and figured it would be smart to see if the same happened to you. Which it did.’’ He still had the same face expression, no emotions showing. 

‘’You should’ve let me die in there.’’ 

‘’Stop being so fucking depressed, and stand up.’’ He took him by the shoulder, and yanked him up in a standing position.

‘’They killed her!’’ He suddenly outraged. 

Healy’s face was drained and white for a second. ‘’Holly?’’ 

‘’No! For fucks sake, Margery!’’ He groaned and slapped his hand away, trying to stand up on his own. ‘’Her body is in there.’’ He pointed towards the burning house. 

‘’They didn’t…’’ Healy looked at the burning house in shock. ‘’Our plan just got more complicated.’’ 

‘’You don’t say.’’ March closed his eyes and brought his hands up to cover his face.

Healy stood up and got his car keys out. ‘’We need to go before suspicion rises.’’ 

March looked at his house, burning down to the ground. He was broken, and crushed. Everything was gone now, and the only thing left for him to do was to get his better half back alive. He was going to fight for what he loved the most in the world right now. 

He stood up, his shirt torn and bloody. His hair was messy and he still had alcohol running through his veins. He needed more of it, more to numb the pain. He followed Healy back into his car.

‘’I’ll drive us back to my place, you need somewhere to stay.’’ And with that they drove back into the dark streets of LA, no one talking, neither complaining, nor making fun of the other.

 

The sun was shining through the window of Jackson Healy’s apartment. He woke up, stretched his body and jumped out of bed getting dressed. He came out into the living room where a snoring March was lying face down on the couch, with a bottle of vodka in his hand. He walked straight past him and started to make his own morning coffee. 

He took out his glasses and the newspaper from today. 

‘’What day, time or century is it-‘’ March was obviously still drunk from last night’s event.

Healy looked up from the newspaper, and raised an eyebrow. ‘’It’s Friday, 12 o’clock and still the 70s.’’

He groaned and stood up, making his way over to the kitchen counter. ‘’Coffee?’’ He almost couldn’t open his eyes, due to the bright lighting and his sleepy hangover. 

‘’Of course.’’ His voice wasn‘t very pleasant as his eyes hit the drunken man in front of him. He took out a cup and poured some coffee in, giving it to March. 

‘’You need to stay sober today, alright?’’ He said with a clear and stern voice, someone had to be the adult one here. 

‘’No. That’s lame.’’ He drank his coffee, acting like a child. 

‘’You’re lame. I know your house burned down, again. But you need to focus, we’re going to save your daughter.’’ He threw the newspaper in front of March, and a headline caught his eye. 

Missing: Margery Stellar. 

‘’What?’’ His eyes opened wide. 

‘’-And look, it’s Pete Ledger whom is allegedly searching for her.’’ Healy pointed at another part of the text. 

‘’He is one smart bastard. Letting everybody believe he’s searching for his ex wife, when in reality he’s the one who did the job himself.’’ He threw the newspaper away. 

Healy nodded and downed the rest of his coffee, standing up and putting it into the sink. ‘That’s why we need to go get proper guns for tonight.’’ 

He went over to the front door and got his leather jacket, and the sunglasses out of the left pocket. ‘’-Are you coming, or are you going to mope around all day with your buddy Jack Daniels.’’ 

He took a look over at the empty bottles across the room, when a thought struck him about Holly. He needed to be the grown up now, the responsible dad that saved his daughter. Not the one who sat at home and drank himself to death, after his own daughters. 

‘’Gun’s it is.’’ He said determined, jumping out of his chair and following him. He was still wearing the same old clothes from yesterday, torn at one of the sleeves and open at the chest. 

 

The store was a couple of blocks away, and they went by foot, not to be recognized by car. Healy lifted his sunglasses and took a look around at first, before he went into an alley by the shop. ‘’In here.’’ He waved.

March raised his eyebrow, but walked after him anyways. It was a dark and shitty alley. There was a red light bulb above the door ahead of them, and Healy knocked a couple of times quickly, as if it was a signal. The door opened and a tall guy wearing all black clothing let them in. March wasn’t so sure about this. 

‘’Jackson Healy.’’ He heard a dark voice say out loud in excitement. ‘’What brought you here?’’ 

Healy walked up to the guy by the desk; he was sitting in a large office chair and was smoking a cigar. 

‘’I need a favour, and if I remember correctly, you owe me.’’ 

He stood up to pat Healy’s back. ‘’Follow me, I’ll get what you need.’’ 

March came in sight, and a guy took him by the arm and slammed him against the wall. ‘’No, he’s with me.’’ Healy had his hand up in the air, as he casually let the words out of his mouth. The goon nodded and threw him ahead to where his friend stood.

‘’Man, are these guy’s harsh or what?’’ March whispered as he rubbed his arm. 

‘’Stop fooling around.’’ Healy said. They finally reached a door and the guy had the cigar planted in his mouth as he opened the door with a code.

‘’Now-‘’ He said, as he was on the inside. ‘’What would you prefer?’’ 

The room was filled with deadly, violent weapons. March was nervous just to be in the room with all of these dangerous people. This was not his forte. 

‘’Some of the usual: have to kill a guy.’’ Healy was cold, and handled the situation very well.

‘’Then I have the perfect weapon for you.’’ He smirked. This guy looked like a villain himself, but as Healy’s dealer obviously, he had to be someone safe. The man grabbed a M16 shorty, and handed it to Healy. He flipped it around and tried holding it firmly. ‘’Seems decent.’’ He said. ‘’We’ll take one, a hand gun and some ammo and a knife, Lorenzo.’’ 

The man, Lorenzo nodded at his men, ordering them to get their supplies. ‘’Still in the murdering business I see.’’ He gave Healy a look as he said it. 

‘’No, just something personal.’’ Healy took the bag they gave him. ‘’Do you by any chance have some light bricks?’’ 

The sun was starting to move further down the sky as they came outside, with the bag in Healy’s hand and his sunglasses in place. March came behind him and he also had a bag, containing bricks. 

‘’How did you know that guy again?’’ He looked at Healy, whom was staring straight ahead as he walked. 

‘’Mafia gang member, now a boss.’’ He said.

‘’-You didn’t say how you know him.’’ 

‘’Let’s just say we once knew each other.’’

‘’I can’t trust that. Tell me.’’ 

‘’You don’t trust anything, and no.’’

There was silence, their feet stamping against the ground as they walked down the street.

‘’…Was he your friend?’’

‘’He fucked my wife!’’ He suddenly yelled out, a person staring at them as he walked by. Healy turned around again, ignoring March and his stupidity. He took a deep breath trying to calm down. ‘’Therefore he owes me, a lot.’’

Healy must have gone through a lot of trouble in his life, getting real worked up about a problem like this. A wife fucker is probably the worst thing you could imagine that’d happen to your relationship. She must have been one of those ‘easy to get’ ladies. 

‘’I think I’ll keep my mouth shut.’’ He said, not wanting to make eye contact with the troubled Jackson Healy. 

‘’That’s probably the smartest thing you’ve ever said to me, Holland.’’ 

They hit a shop next, in town where they sold suits and fancy clothing. March and Healy had their look around, and ended up buying two suits. One for March, which was a light blue one with a dark red tie added to it and a white shirt: One for Healy, which was basically all black, with grey stripes and a black tie. Healy wanted to keep it on the low blow and blend in, but March insisted he’d get the blue one, like the child he was. 

‘’Well… Not my life in jeopardy.’’ Healy remarked, shrugging. 

They paid, thanked the cashier and made their way out.

‘’I’ll inform you about the plan after we get dressed, then we drive to his house to end this madness once and for all.’’

 

At 8pm they were ready to rumble, and driving out to the other side of Los Angeles. The streets were roaming with party life as they drove by, people were screaming of joy and having a good time. Except for March. He had now gotten a new package of cigarettes, which he’s already smoked half of, taking one more as they sat in the car. 

‘’You got the plan straight?’’ Healy asked him.

‘’Yeah, yeah. You’ve told me plenty of times.’’ He was stressing out, exhaling his smoke. ‘’I have my baby close to me, right here.’’ He patted his chest, which revealed a hidden gun in his inside pocket. 

‘’-And where did you put your knife?’’

March threw the stump of his cigarette out the window, and looked ahead. ‘’I would not like to discuss that matter.’’ 

‘’You’ve got to be kidding me.’’ Healy hit the palm of his hand against his face. ‘’I thought you were joking.’’

‘’It’s precaution.’’ He defended, and looked down at his pants. The knife was tucked in, and placed into his boxers. ‘’No man would want to put their hand down my junk… Unless-‘’ He started. Healy quickly put on the radio to make him shut up.

They arrived at a mansion, and it was a hell of a house. A fountain was placed outside where you could drive around, and give your keys to a parking staff. Healy did this, and they entered the house moving along with the crowd of people. 

‘‘All right, keep an eye out for anything. He’s got to come out and face the people at some time, and be careful of the goons looking for us.’’ 

‘’Don’t worry!’’ March said, over the loud funk music that was playing. ‘’I got this.’’ 

He went into the crowd, as Healy went in another direction.

A woman suddenly came up to him with a plate of drinks, pushing it up in his face. ‘’Would you like a drink?’’ She winked at him. 

Everything Healy had said to March now went in the one ear and out the other. He grinned at the woman in front of him and took a glass. ‘’Yes I would.’’ 

On the second floor of the mansion were multiple rooms, and an area of the house that was closed for people of the party to get into. This was the place in which Pete Ledger and his team were hiding out. 

A guy was sitting in front of a desk, and in front of him were multiple screens. This was camera footage from almost every room in the house. People were seen dancing, drinking. Almost too many people to find the ones they intended for. 

Holly was sitting on the couch near by, still tied up by the hands to her back. Pete was standing over the desk with the guy, observing. 

‘’Who are you looking for?’’ She asked him.

‘’None of your concern.’’ Pete said, not turning around. 

‘’Why am I tied up again?’’ 

‘’Because.’’ He was getting annoyed at this point. ‘’-You tried running away, little girl.’’

‘’Why can’t you just let me go?’’

He slammed his hand hard against the wooden desk in front of him, and took off his cool guy sunglasses, walking over to where she was sitting. ‘’If you don’t shut your pretty little mouth soon, I’ll have you gone by the hour.’’ 

‘’So, that means I can leave?’’ She gave him a sweet smile, knowing she was pushing his buttons. 

‘’For the love of god! Shut the fuck up.’’ He brought a hand up to his hair, dragging it back in a frustrated matter. 

She looked over at the screen and suddenly saw her dad’s face appear on one of them. Her eyes widened and she needed to find out how to make them distracted, and look away from the screens. 

When he was about to turn around she stood up, hands still at her back. ‘’You are probably the worst villain I have ever seen.’’ And with that she leaped forward, striking out her foot in a kick, hitting his family jewels and making him fall down to his knees, out of breath. 

‘’Take. Her.’’ He groaned, and two of his goons took her arms and dragged her out of the room. She tried to kick and scream her way out, but there was no way these guys were letting her go at this point. 

Pete Ledger brushed himself off, and stood up. ‘’You want to play a game. I’ll play it with you.’’ He snickered, and saw Jackson Healy appear on the screen. 

As the party was getting wilder by the end of the night, March had gotten a few drinks by now. He was a little tipsy, and was chatting up a lady by one of the corners of the huge living rom. ‘’I did not know, that you were a fucking doctor!’’ 

She laughed sweet- or drunkenly in this matter and hit his chest lightly. ‘’I swear, that’s my job.’’ 

‘’-And I swear, I had no idea what so ever.’’ He laughed with her, reaching a new level of drunkenness. 

Jackson Healy passed a few people on his way, telling the ladies passing drinks around to go somewhere else and bother people with their alcoholic beverages. A flight of stairs met him, as he saw no people up there. He figured it might be the place to go, and with him he had the bag filled with elements other than money. 

March leaned against the wall as he was still speaking to the lady he met. 

She struck her arm out and twisted her fingers around his tie, bringing him in closer. ‘’I want to show you something.’’ She said, dragging him into a room near by. 

He was thrown against a soft object, as he looked around him he noticed it was a bed. She jumped on top of him and crashed her lips against his, opening his shirt in the process. ‘’-I need to check if my, patient, is in a decent condition.’’ 

March laughed and continued to kiss her as well as she did. 

She grinded herself against him, and held his open shirt in both hands as she pulled him in against her. ‘’Let’s fuck.’’ She breathed out, and into his ear. A silly laugh escaped her mouth. 

‘’I agree.’’ March laughed as well, and they both fell down onto the bed. 

Healy rounded the corner of the second floor, and a few voices across the hall were heard. He leaned against the wall and took a quick look. 

‘’No, let me go!’’ A tiny voice yelled, and was soon muffled by a hand to her mouth.

‘’That’s enough.’’ One of the guys said, holding her in place. 

Healy recognized Holly’s cry for help. 

‘’Hey, you pricks. Let her go and I’ll take it easy on you.’’ 

He stepped out from the corner of the hall, and stood in front of the men holding her. Holly’s eyes were wide and bright as she saw him, trying to escape the men’s grips. 

‘’You are going to take us out?’’ One of them laughed. ‘’I would say it’s the other way around, buddy.’’  
Healy raised an eyebrow. ‘’I ain’t your buddy, and if I remember right you are a weak excuse of a bad guy.’’ Healy had the bag cuffed to his hand, for safety. He brought his hands up and cracked the knuckles, as well as his neck. ‘’Are you ready to funk it up?’’ 

They stood still for a second, and Healy went for it and sprinted forward giving the guy a massive punch to the face, his brass knuckles doing the most damage. Holly gasped as she saw what he did, but the guy also went for it and hit him back, not as hard. Healy ducked and pushed him into the wall, pushing the air out of his lungs. ‘’You. Dick.’’ He heard the guy groan, as he suddenly saw the other one run away with Holly in his arms. 

‘’Hey, come back here.’’ He said, running towards the railings to see where he was drifting off to as he ran down the stairs with her. The crowd was massive, and no one suspected anything in the filled room. Music was playing and loud voices numbed out the most of it. 

‘’It’s time for you to go.’’ He suddenly heard behind his back, as he forgot to check his surroundings. The guy took the bag cuffed to Healy’s hand in a harsh manoeuvre, making his hand break as he got the bag completely out of Healy’s reach. He yelled out in a pain filled scream, and was pushed against the edge of the railing, falling down to the first floor.

Thank god it was someone’s birthday, Healy fell down into a massively large cake, saving him from the fall. He stood up, filled with cake filling and a broken hand. 

‘’When will you ever go away?’’ He heard a new persons voice now, calling from above them. ‘’-Jackson Healy.’’ A gun was fired off into the crowd, and as he looked up he saw a familiar face. Pete Ledger. 

‘’Shit, fuck.’’ March’s face was filled with red lipstick marks, across his face and neck. He heard the gunshots and suddenly remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He stood up almost falling over as he put his pants back on.

‘’Don’t leave, have fun with me!’’ He heard her say in drunken gibberish. 

He was stressed out of his mind and ran out of the room, still with an open shirt and his suit jacket on top. He fiddled in his chest pocket and got out his gun. A thud was heard, and March fell to the floor. 

‘’Where the hell have you been!?’’ It was Healy who had bumped into him, holding his hand in place. ‘’We need to get away, now.’’ He took a hold of his shirt, and looked around before he threw him inside the room and hid inside as well, standing against the door keeping it shut. 

‘’You came back.’’ An excited voice was heard, and the woman was lying naked on the bed, covered in a bit of the sheets. 

Healy’s eyes darted straight towards March, and he looked straight back. ‘’Are you telling me you got some drinks? And you end up here having sex with this woman? Do you have any idea what the hell you are doing! I was about to get bloody murdered out there.’’ 

He had never heard Healy this mad before, and now it truly came from the heart, anger raging inside his body. A few more gun shots were heard outside, and people’s screams. 

‘’Come out, come out, wherever you are.’’ Pete was yelling out loud, over the music. 

‘’There is a psycho out there, ready to fucking shoot us. So, get your gun ready.’’ He hissed at March, and he swallowed not really knowing what to tell the disturbed man in front of him right now.

‘’If you don’t come out soon, I’ll put my gun to this little girls head.’’ 

March froze for a second as he heard it, this made him panic and push Healy out of the way opening the door and running out. Pete was holding his daughter around the neck and pointing the gun to her head. People were gasping and moving out of the way, making a circle around the situation. 

‘’Dad, don’t!’’ Holly yelled at him, but Pete stopped her. ‘’Shut up, you little shit.’’ 

‘’Do not talk to my girl like that.’’ March had the gun in his hand, pointing it towards Pete.

He suddenly started to laugh and looked around him. ‘’Are you serious? If you shoot, I’ll put my bullet in your kid’s head here. You have no choice but to give up. You don’t even have my money, trying to fool me with your fake shit.’’ 

March was sweating, not knowing what to do. He was right he needed to give up. He let his gun slip down to his side with a defeated look on his face. The smirk on Pete Ledgers was even wider as he laughed a maniac laugh where he stood: Holly in the crook of his arm.

‘’Any last words, Holland?’’ He referred to his name for the first time, as he pointed the gun towards him. 

‘’-Why kill your wife?’’ He said out loud for everyone to hear. 

‘’That is none of your fucking business.’’ 

The bullet was fired.

Healy had appeared right in the moment it happened, getting hit as he pushed March out of the way. Holly was heard screaming. March turned his head and saw a red dot placed upon Pete’s forehead, and then he fell to the ground. A shot fired to his head, killing him instantly. The shot came from nowhere, he saw no one around with a gun or sniper. 

Holly managed to run away as she was unharmed, and March saw her come his way. He threw his arms open and embraced her as she fell against him, crying.  
‘’It’s okay, you’re safe.’’ He said in a low voice. Healy sat up against the wall, his shirt covered in blood. It all happened so fast, but also in a very slow matter. Sirens were heard and red lights were seen outside. Paramedics and cops were seen arriving, and they went straight in to get the ones who were hurt. They took Healy without questioning anyone; he was almost unconscious by now. 

Holly turned around and saw the paramedics take him away. ‘’He’s going to be okay, right?’’ Tears were running down her face. 

‘’Don’t worry. He’ll make it.’’ 

March looked up for a second, and he could swear he saw a person take a picture as well as placing a black ski mask on, escaping out the window. Was he or she responsible for the killing of Pete Ledger? 

 

A week later:

 

The hospital was crowded, and March walked through the hall with a bouquet of flowers holding Holly’s hand with the other. They reached a room further down the hall and inside was Healy, lying on the bed with his reading glasses on as he read the news paper. 

Holly let go of March’s hand and rand over to hug Healy. He laughed at wrapped an arm around her as well. ‘’Hey, be careful.’’ He laughed. 

March walked over also, waving the flowers. ‘’It was Holly’s idea to get you these.’’ 

‘’-And I who thought you were the one responsible for the nice gesture.’’ Healy joked, and coughed a bit afterwards. ‘’Still not as good as I used to be, but I’m getting there. They’re letting me out the hospital in a few days.’’ 

‘’Good.’’ March said, sitting down in a chair taking out a cigarette from his pocket. ‘’Because we need to find out who killed Pete Ledger.’’ 

‘’There is no way-‘’

‘’I saw something at the party, or someone…’’ He lit it, and let the smoke drift out of his mouth. ‘’Right after you… Saved my life…’’ He took a moment of appreciation, and Healy nodded. ‘’-I saw someone up on the second floor balcony. Someone else was intended to kill him as well, but that seems impossible to find out.’’ 

‘’Work your PI magic, and I’ll take care of the rest.’’ He said.

‘’Don’t worry Mr Healy. I’ll come and visit you until you’re all better.’’ Holly smiled, and took the flowers from March placing them on the bed where Healy was lying. 

‘’Dad, you need to get me to Jessica’s, remember?’’

He finished his smoke, and stood up. ‘’I thought you said Janet.’’ 

‘’I hate her.’’ 

‘’Jessica’s the one with brown hair right?’’ 

‘’Yes, dad! She’s the nice one.’’ 

‘’Jessica, Janet… Whatever. Let’s go pumpkin.’’ 

Holly hugged Healy one last time and went with her father. March stopped right before the exit of the door and looked back at Healy. ‘’Thanks for… You know, everything.’’ He was awkwardly putting it out there.

‘’No worries, it’s my job.’’ Healy said. ‘’I’ll see you soon for the new case.’’ 

March nodded. ‘’Take care, Jackson Healy.’’ 

The door closed and he shook his head, letting out a little chuckle as he put his reading glasses back on. The next one was going to be one hell of a case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for following my story, ideas and writing. I'll hopefully publish more! It was a blast writing for this fandom.


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